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Hi there. I'm Maggie. I'm a 21 year old college student and also an aspiring author. I have this blog to discuss silly things like books, writing, and my famous boyfriends. If you send me pictures of puppies, I won't hate it.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Some of these I read a while ago, so if I leave off big points, or small points, or any points--just don't harrass me, okay? I'm a loser at these review things, but I have raging impulses to make them. Tis the life of a teenager. Or maybe just me. Whatever.

On an unrelated note, school is already kicking my booty. Onward!

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The Naughty List (by Suzanne Young)When I first started reading this one, I won't lie, I was a tad skeptical. The first two pages are letters and a list, and you really have no idea what they're for. And then you're thrown right into one of the SOS missions. SOS is the group that the Smitten Kittens, the cheerleading squad, created that's main focus is to track down and investigate if boys are cheating. Girls will text in who they need to know is cheating, and then the Smitten Kittens--SOS--will, well, basically they spy. After the first chapter you start to catch up, but it's a bit jarring and confusing at the start. Other than that I loved it. I don't think the plot really started until further into the book, which made it slow at times, but it kept me entertained and it's filled with a lot of humor. Especially Tessa, the main character, and how she shows she's surprised. She refuses to cuss, she tries to make sure the whole squad are quite the ladies so the school doesn't think badly of them, and so instead of saying curse words, she'll randomly exclaim things like "Sugerplum fairies!" and "Candycanes and unicorns!" and "Napa Valley!" Needless to say, it kept me smiling.

I think Tessa does learn some lessons and even though the events aren't likely to happen to (most of) us, it's a fun read. It's also pretty fast, and Aiden, Tessa's boyfriend, who she thinks is cheating on her, is probably the most adorable and clueless boy ever. I actually think he's the most realistic character out of the whole book. Anyways, sorry. This review is the worst of them because it's been many books ago that I read it. My memory is a tad foggy.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour (by Morgan Matson)I loved this book. What first made me pick it up was simply the fact that I love books about road trips. They just call to me. And this one was more than I could have imagined. After the death of her father, Amy's mother decides that they should move. So her mom goes across the country to get things settled. But, in order for things to work out normally, she needs a car. And Amy. And since the car is with Amy, and it's too expensive for a plane trip for both, she wants Amy to drive the car across the country. Except Amy doesn't drive, not after the accident. Enter Roger, who's going to visit his dad for the Summer. Why not have Roger drive since he lives near the area? It's efficient, yeah? The thing is--they don't even know each other. But they will. On impulse, Amy and Roger agree to ignore the itinerary that Amy's mom made out, and instead take their own path. And, man, is it interesting. They stop at tons of different places, and it was all so interesting to read about! From national parks, to college dorms, to a night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. They grow to know each other, to travel the States, and to find themselves a little along the way. And, sprinkled throughout the story are the music playlists that Roger makes for the rides, and Amy's entries of what she thinks of each state they pass through.

Basically, you fall completely in love with everything they do. You learn a little about some states, you get some amazing song suggestions, you realize that you really need to visit some restaurants, and you experience Amy and Roger's trip with them. Oh, and you kind of have the urge to sleep in the back of the car with a guy. Um... yeah. You KNOW you want to read this one!

Pure (by Terra Elan McVoy)What can I say about this one? I like it, but it got on my nerves at points. Tab is part of a group of girls who have purity rings, and who take their rings as a sign of their absolute faith in and for God. So when a friend has suddenly had reason to not wear her ring any longer, Tab has no clue what to do. She wants to stick with this friend, but at the same time her bestest actual friend refuses to talk to her if she doesn't ignore the non-ring one. And that's pretty much as far as the story goes. Basically we just hear about the various stints Morgan (the bestest actual friend) does to protest sex before marriage. And Tab likes a boy. So now she has no clue what she believes, or why she believes them. Most of the book, to me, is just the same things stated over and over again, and it got tiring to read. Maybe if the story were shorter, I wouldn't have minded so much. But, you know, it wasn't.

Tab grows through the story, and she matures in her thoughts and actions. And she's also very logical, and firm in what she believes, even when they do change slightly. Those are all things that I liked, but other than that, I thought it was slow and maybe a little boring. Which was quite the dissapointment, since I've been a fan of McVoy's earlier books. You can check Pure out, but it feels a little dramatic.

The Boys Next Door / Endless Summer (by Jennifer Echols)I bought these books in one large book. You know, where they're both in the form of one book? Does that make sense? Is there a term for these? Anyways, I bought them. And I liked them muchly. The characters and the storyline was cute: Lori sets out at the beginning of her Summer with hopes to win over the older of the Vader brothers. It doesn't take long, however, to realize that maybe she likes the youngest most. The events are quick, and really Lori starts liking Adam (the young one) pretty fast into the book. It's just the art of getting him. And, in the second book, keeping him. I think it was a fun Summer story, and even though the events and things they do are kind of dramatic and unbelievable, it was funny and nice to read. Plus, I could relate to this one more. It was set on the lake instead of the ocean, so I'm familiar with the docks and water skis and lake scum, compared to the likes of the ocean.

These are quick and easy, and I look forward to reading Jennifer's other book(s). Her writing is snarky and it's hard to be bored with Lori's humor and the boys' squirms, and the action of everything going on. If you're looking for something more serious like this, read The Summer I Turned Pretty, but leave this one for when you need a pick-me-up!

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I had some other books that I wanted to add to this, or to create a third one of these with, but I just don't know if I'm up for it all. I've read quite a bit since these. I'll update you on what I've read and maybe give it a rating in the future? I think that'll be decent. And the ARCs might get a seperate review but... Um, I read The DUFF like, a month and a half ago. Or maybe two months. Or one. I have a hard time judging time.

Anyways, I'm not so sure what I'm doing. But I can tell you that I'll be reading, and I'll keep you updated somehow or another.

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